Layla Zulfa
The Ethereum network continues its relentless evolution, marking significant milestones with the successful deployment of the Fusaka upgrade, the introduction of agile Blob Parameter Only (BPO) forks, and setting a clear roadmap for the upcoming Glamsterdam and Hegotá network enhancements. These developments, meticulously tracked through the "Checkpoint" series of Ethereum’s All Core Developer (ACD) calls, underscore a concerted effort to bolster scalability, decentralization, and censorship resistance, solidifying Ethereum’s position as a foundational layer for the global decentralized economy. Regular, high-level updates, typically every 4-8 weeks, ensure the broader community remains informed about the complex and rapidly progressing core development landscape. Complementing these summaries, platforms like Forkcast now offer immediate access to call summaries, chats, and transcripts for all ACD and breakout sessions, dramatically improving transparency and community engagement.
The Fusaka Rollout: A Leap in Scalability and Data Availability
Since the previous Checkpoint update, the Ethereum ecosystem celebrated the successful activation of the Fusaka upgrade. This pivotal hard fork represents a major stride in Ethereum’s scaling journey, primarily through the integration of Data Availability Sampling (DAS), a critical component of the broader sharding roadmap. DAS, detailed in Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 7594, enhances the network’s ability to verify the availability of data blobs, which are essential for supporting Layer 2 (L2) rollups. By allowing a small subset of nodes to verify data availability without downloading the entire dataset, DAS significantly reduces the computational burden on individual nodes while ensuring data integrity and security.
The significance of Fusaka and its inclusion of PeerDAS was widely communicated across official channels. Both the official Ethereum Twitter account and co-founder Vitalik Buterin utilized social media to elucidate the technical intricacies of PeerDAS, emphasizing its role in secure scaling and how these improvements fit within the grander vision of Ethereum’s long-term development. This public discourse highlights the community’s commitment to ensuring that not only are technical advancements made, but their implications and benefits are also transparently conveyed to a diverse audience, from seasoned developers to new users. Fusaka is a crucial step towards "the Surge" phase of Ethereum’s roadmap, which aims to dramatically increase network throughput and transaction capacity, thereby enabling L2 solutions to scale more effectively and cost-efficiently.
Agile Scaling: The Advent of Blob Parameter Only (BPO) Forks
A revolutionary development accompanying the Fusaka upgrade is the operationalization of Blob Parameter Only (BPO) forks. This innovation allows Ethereum’s core developers to independently adjust blob parameters – specifically the number of blobs per block – without requiring a full network hard fork. Traditionally, any protocol change, no matter how minor, necessitated a complex and time-consuming hard fork cycle. The decoupling of blob parameter adjustments from the main fork cycles provides an unprecedented level of agility and responsiveness to network demands.
The first two BPO forks were successfully stress-tested and integrated into the Fusaka deployment, with the inaugural BPO fork going live just days after Fusaka’s activation, followed by a second in early January. These initial deployments demonstrated the robustness and effectiveness of the new mechanism. As a direct result, Ethereum now targets 14 blobs per block and allows for a maximum of 21, representing a substantial 2.3x increase in available data space for L2 transactions compared to pre-Fusaka levels. This expansion directly translates to lower transaction costs and higher throughput for applications built on L2 scaling solutions like Optimism, Arbitrum, zkSync, and StarkNet, making the Ethereum ecosystem more accessible and efficient for end-users.
Despite the proven capability to further increase blob counts, core developers have agreed that pursuing a third BPO fork is not an immediate priority. This strategic decision stems from the current blob usage patterns; the existing increases in data space are deemed sufficient to accommodate current L2 demand. This cautious approach ensures that network resources are optimized and development efforts are focused on areas of immediate need and impact, preventing unnecessary complexity or over-provisioning. The ability to dynamically scale blob capacity, however, remains a powerful tool for future growth, enabling the network to adapt swiftly as L2 adoption and data requirements intensify.
Looking Ahead: Glamsterdam’s Ambitious Agenda
With Fusaka successfully deployed, the Ethereum core development community has fully scoped the next major network upgrade: Glamsterdam. This upcoming fork is poised to introduce two highly anticipated and transformative features: enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) and Block-level Access Lists (BALs).
Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) is a critical step towards mitigating the negative externalities of Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) and enhancing network decentralization. MEV refers to the profit validators can extract by reordering, censoring, or inserting transactions within a block. While MEV is an inherent consequence of blockchain architecture, ePBS aims to formalize the separation of block proposal (by validators) from block building (by specialized builders). This separation is designed to reduce the power of individual proposers, foster a more competitive block-building market, and ultimately distribute MEV more equitably across the network, thereby strengthening censorship resistance and promoting a more level playing field for validators. Given its fundamental impact on network architecture and economic incentives, ePBS is a significantly complex change, requiring extensive research, development, and testing.
Block-level Access Lists (BALs), on the other hand, aim to optimize transaction processing and provide greater predictability for users. BALs allow transactions to declare in advance which state slots they will access, enabling client software to more efficiently process and validate blocks. This can lead to improved transaction execution, reduced gas costs, and enhanced network performance. Development for BALs is progressing rapidly, with dedicated devnets already established and undergoing rigorous testing by various client teams. The relative simplicity of BALs compared to ePBS means it is likely to see more rapid integration and testing.
The disparity in complexity between ePBS and BALs means that while BALs already have operational devnets (as seen with ethpandaops/bal-devnets), a devnet for ePBS is still some time away. The phased approach to integrating EIPs into Glamsterdam reflects this reality. Developers have meticulously narrowed down an initial list of over 50 proposed non-headlining features to a more manageable set of 17 "Considered" features. These will be incrementally added to devnets for testing. This process allows client and testing teams to focus their efforts, identify potential conflicts or performance issues early, and ensure the stability and security of the network. Any feature that proves problematic or could unduly delay the overall fork may be removed from the "Considered" set, underscoring the pragmatic approach to network upgrades. A more precise timeline for Glamsterdam’s activation is expected once the first stable ePBS devnet is operational and all considered EIPs have undergone thorough testing.
The Road to Hegotá: Shaping Future Decentralization and Censorship Resistance
Following Glamsterdam, the next major Ethereum upgrade is officially named Hegotá. This name, a combination of "Heze" (a star from the International Astronomers Union catalog, correcting an earlier naming convention discrepancy) and "Bogotá," continues the tradition of naming forks after astronomical bodies and significant global cities.
Hegotá is already generating considerable discussion, particularly around its potential headlining features. One of the leading candidates is Fork-choice Inclusion Lists (FOCIL), a robust censorship resistance mechanism. FOCIL was initially considered for Glamsterdam but was moved to Hegotá to streamline the Glamsterdam fork’s scope and allow for more dedicated development and evaluation. FOCIL aims to give validators more control over the transactions included in blocks, making it more difficult for powerful block builders to censor specific transactions or users. This mechanism is crucial for upholding Ethereum’s core values of neutrality and open access. Its strong support among core developers and the wider Ethereum community highlights the collective commitment to bolstering the network’s resilience against centralized pressures.
FOCIL presents a unique development challenge as a "cross-layer EIP," meaning it impacts both the consensus layer (responsible for block finality) and the execution layer (responsible for transaction processing), particularly the Engine API that connects them. This interdependency adds a layer of complexity to its implementation, necessitating careful coordination among various client teams. An overview of FOCIL’s readiness for Hegotá is available on the Ethereum Magicians forum, where community members and developers actively discuss its technical merits and implementation pathways. As of the current update, FOCIL is the primary proposal vying for the headliner status in Hegotá, though at least one other competing proposal exists, with further discussions anticipated. Another feature that has seen some discussion, though its inclusion in Hegotá or a later ‘I-star’ upgrade remains uncertain, is the implementation of 6-second slots, which would further reduce block times and improve transaction finality.
The timeline for Hegotá’s headliner selection is structured to encourage broad community participation and informed decision-making:
- January 8th – February 4th: The current window for headliner proposals. Any community member can propose a significant feature for Hegotá using a standardized template on the Ethereum Magicians forum.
- February 5th – February 26th: This period is dedicated to the discussion and finalization of headliner features. Proposers will present their EIPs during ACD calls, and community feedback will be actively solicited and considered. The goal is to decisively select Hegotá’s core features by February 26th.
- 30 days following headliner decision (deadline TBD): A window will open for proposals of non-headlining EIPs. Like headliners, these proposals are open to anyone willing to champion their feature through the rigorous EIP process.
This transparent and community-driven process ensures that Hegotá addresses critical needs while maintaining the highest standards of security and stability.
Streamlining the Evolution: Ethereum’s EIP Development Process
The rapid pace of Ethereum’s development and the increasing number of contributors have led to a more formalized and robust Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) process. For individuals or teams aspiring to introduce new features to Ethereum, a comprehensive 2026 guide titled "Championing an EIP" is available. This guide outlines the journey of a proposed feature, starting with its specification according to EIP-1 (the foundational EIP defining the EIP process itself), its proposal during designated windows, and its subsequent championing by a technical point-of-contact who guides it through various stages of review, development, and integration.
The experience with Glamsterdam, which saw an "absolute beast" of a review process due to over 50 proposed non-headlining features, served as a crucial learning curve for the core development teams. This surge in proposals can be attributed to several factors: an increased number of high-context participants in the ecosystem, and a clearer, more defined process for proposing features. While encouraging innovation, the sheer volume placed a significant burden on client and testing teams. These teams are responsible for familiarizing themselves with each proposal, assessing its technical feasibility, potential impact, and compatibility with existing infrastructure, and then making informed recommendations. Reviewing 50 detailed technical specifications is an arduous task, consuming substantial resources and time.
This experience has directly influenced the more structured and phased approach for Hegotá, with distinct windows for headliner and non-headliner proposals, and a stronger emphasis on pre-screening and impact assessment. The ongoing discussions around Hegotá’s headliners, such as the competition between FOCIL and other proposals like encrypted mempools, highlight the dynamic nature of core development. Encrypted mempools, for instance, are another strong candidate for censorship resistance, aiming to prevent transaction front-running and MEV extraction by obscuring transaction details before inclusion in a block. The choice between such complex, cross-layer EIPs is not trivial and involves deep technical analysis, security considerations, and alignment with the network’s strategic priorities.
Broader Implications: Sustaining Ethereum’s Vision
The continuous stream of upgrades, from Fusaka’s scaling enhancements to Glamsterdam’s MEV mitigation and Hegotá’s focus on censorship resistance, collectively reinforce Ethereum’s long-term vision. This vision, often encapsulated by phases like "the Surge" (scaling via sharding and L2s), "the Scourge" (MEV and censorship resistance), "the Verge" (Verkle trees for state size reduction), "the Purge" (historical data pruning), and "the Splurge" (miscellaneous improvements), demonstrates a holistic approach to building a robust, decentralized, and scalable global computing platform.
The increasing agility facilitated by BPO forks, coupled with the rigorous and transparent EIP process, signifies a maturing development ecosystem capable of adapting to emerging challenges and opportunities. The active involvement of the community, from proposing EIPs to engaging in discussions on forums and ACD calls, is a testament to Ethereum’s decentralized governance model. However, it also underscores the growing complexity and the need for efficient processes to manage the influx of ideas and development efforts. The decisions made in these Checkpoint periods are not merely technical adjustments; they are foundational choices that will shape the future utility, security, and philosophical underpinnings of one of the world’s most significant blockchain networks.
Key Discussions and Community Engagement
The progress detailed in this update is a direct result of numerous All Core Developer (ACD) calls, where researchers, client developers, and community members converge to discuss, debate, and decide on the future of Ethereum. The period from November 14th to January 19th saw a flurry of activity across various ACD streams:
- ACDT (All Core Devs – Technical): Calls 66, 65, 64, 63, 62 focused on deep technical discussions, protocol specifications, and implementation details for various EIPs.
- ACDC (All Core Devs – Consensus): Calls 172, 171, 170 addressed specific aspects of the consensus layer, including staking, finality, and the integration of new features like DAS and ePBS.
- ACDE (All Core Devs – Execution): Calls 228, 227, 226, 225 concentrated on the execution layer, covering topics such as transaction processing, gas mechanics, and the implications of BALs.
These calls, now more accessible than ever through Forkcast, serve as the crucible where Ethereum’s future is forged. Community members are encouraged to follow these discussions and participate actively, especially during the upcoming Hegotá headliner proposal and discussion phases, to ensure their voices contribute to the ongoing evolution of the network. The transparent and collaborative nature of these calls remains a cornerstone of Ethereum’s decentralized governance and its ability to consistently deliver groundbreaking innovation.
